Anything But Ordinary
by Ruffian194
Summary: Draco, bored and alone at a Ministry gala, spots a bit of gold and engages in a chase.
1. Chapter 1

It was another Ministry gala, and to be completely honest, Draco was completely and utterly bored to death. On most occasions, such as these, Draco Malfoy would find himself entering the gala, fashionably late of course, always running about an hour or so behind with a pretty new face to decorate his arm and warm his bed at the end of the night. But not this evening. That had actually, if he was honest with himself, not been how he had even attended the last at least three galas or balls, because he had been dating Astoria Greengrass and she had been on his arm then. But as I said before, not this night.

No. In-fact, this night, Astoria Greengrass was attending a high society charity ball in France with some other guy and Draco was attending London's Ministry of Magic's fundraising gala alone. They'd split after seriously dating for about a year or so (he could never quite remember just how long) due to the heavy pressure she and her family and his put on him to finally pop the big question and tie himself down. He refused. Refused even to get engaged. He would do it when he wanted to. He would not be pressured into it as he was pressured into everything else in his life.

His mother understood and quickly backed off, feeling guilty. Unfortunately, Astoria and her parents, as well as his father, did not. Astoria had proceeded to give him an ultimatum, and what any girl should know is ultimatums are the worse things you can do to your relationship when your man just isn't set in stone on things yet. And true to that, it was the worst thing for them; Astoria quickly moved out and on to other available men.

But that was three months ago and Draco was not too concerned. Just as she had quickly moved on with her life, so had he. For a handsome man with high society connections and loads of money, women had never been hard for Draco to get. There were _always_ other blondes to throw themselves at him. Brunettes too. And red heads. And midnight haired witches. Blue eyed, green eyed, brown, hazel, or grey. Tall, short, boards and curves. You name it. Needless to say, Draco had not been lonely. But tonight he had opted not to bring one of his many lovers, chose not to allow anyone to use him for their fifteen seconds of fame. Tonight was about him, and _boy_ was it already boring.

Of course, when he had walked through the door relatively on time, he had been thrown right into the spotlight; everyone wanted to know how England's newly available, most eligible, bachelor was doing and asking why he had not brought a date and so on and so on. Now though, he was inside the ballroom and hanging around the outskirts, just observing the activities. His role here was never to truly participate, it was to bring attention to the goings-on's of the Ministry to the members of higher society. And the Wizarding World's Boy Wonder and his two sidekicks, the redheaded stepchild and the Wizarding World's own Golden Girl were there to bring the Ministry's goings-on's to the attention of everyone else. It was easy for Draco to fade into the background when Harry Potter had just gotten engaged and flaunted his own redhead around or when Ronald Weasley comes in with- hold on... Draco took another look at the girl on Ronald Weasley's arm, coming very quickly to the fact that it was not Hermione Granger that was currently walking with the weasel, smiling and laughing.

In-fact, Weasley himself seemed to have a blonde girl of his own.

 _Well I guess if you can't find another redhead to make more redheaded children with, blondes are your next best choice. Or maybe the know-it-all realized she was much smarter than that bloke._ Draco concluded and moved on.

After scanning the crowd and drifting from corner to corner, chit-chatting here and there, Draco realized he still had not seen Hermione Granger, which was odd. Especially considering, he was pretty sure she was the one that put this fundraiser together. But not really caring, he continued on his boring way. Making his way to the bar, he ordered a shot of Firewhisky and a Magic Man on the rocks and turned around in his seat. Sipping on his second drink after shooting back the Firewhisky, Draco took a moment to just relax and people watch. And that's when he saw it, a flash of gold. It was just for a moment. He saw a shot of gold dress, the flip of a hand, and the glow of smooth skin, and then it was gone. So, like the seeker he was in Hogwarts, he immediately began intensely looking for any tiny speck of gold. Something was drawing him to it, the color or the woman, perhaps the reminiscing of schoolyard quidditch. Just something made him look for it.

Then he heard the sound of laughter, loud and heavy, coming from the left side of the room and within the laughter he heard a light tinkle of a giggle that caught his attention. Turning his view that way, he saw the gold again, but it was already fading into the crowd and the color of the gown was all he caught of the woman. Knocking back the last bit of his drink, Draco placed the cup on the counter and headed into the crowd, following flashes of gold dress and light giggles, before he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Turning toward the pressure, Draco came face to face with his best friend, Blaise Zabini. They exchanged pleasantries, though Blaise very quickly picked up that Draco was distracted, constantly looking over his and Blaise's own shoulders, searching.

"On the hunt are we? Who're we looking for?" Blaise asked, looking around himself to see if he could spot anyone that may have caught Draco's attention.

"Wha- Oh... No one. Someone. I don't know. Have you seen a woman in a gold dress? It's kind of a champagne color."

"Ah. A golden beauty now? No, I have not." Blaise was looking at him confused yet bemused, and watching him intently.

"I don't know if she's a beauty or not. I haven't seen her face. Or her really, just her dress. Just something about it is drawing me to her. I can't really explain it. I-" Just then he saw the flash of gold he'd been looking for. Locking his eyes on it, he apologized to Blaise and moved in the direction he'd seen the dress. Blaise shook his head and moved off, knowing he'd probably hear all about this mystery woman tomorrow.

Draco pushed further into the crowd, seeing the dress more frequently now that he'd finally locked onto his target. He was getting closer but had to pause a moment to hide within the crowd, for his prey had reached the edge of the crowd and made her way to a door at the back of the room where not too many people were. She reached the door and put her hand on the handle, turning it down, and glanced over her shoulder before slipping through the door without anyone but Draco noticing. But in that moment where she looked over her shoulder, Draco could have sworn they'd locked eyes before she was gone. He stayed put for a second, giving her that time to not feel so followed and a moment for himself to try to remember if he knew her. He still hadn't really gotten a good look at her face; just one big brown eye, the curve of her cheek and of her scarlet lips, and the sweep of brown curls over her right shoulder, obscuring most of his view of her face. Something about her curls was familiar but he couldn't quite place his finger on just what it was and couldn't quite put a name to the face. So he moved forward to investigate some more.

Slipping through the door, Draco made it just in time to catch a glimpse of the woman's dress slip around a corner on his right hand side. Quietly jogging to catch up, Draco saw a flash of gold slip around another corner on his left hand side. He followed her for two more turns, before she slipped into a room...

She was so _frustrated_ and _overwhelmed_ , she just had to get away from _everyone_ and _everything_ for a moment before she could even _think_ about starting the welcoming and thank you speech. So she managed to _slowly_ work her way through the crown, networking and chit-chatting on her way, ever the gracious hostess. But she just couldn't seem to shake the feeling of being followed, and as she reached the edge of the crowd, about to walk into the hallway for some _much_ needed alone time, she glanced over her shoulder to see if her feeling was founded.

In the midst of the crowd she saw who it was that was making her feel so stalked. Ronald Weasley. Always freaking Ron. And he was watching her, even as his new girlfriend clung to his arm, chatting away to Harry and Ginny. Even with a girl on his arm and her across the room from him, he still kept a close eye on her. Rolling her eyes, she started to turn her vision back on the door but her eye caught on something else. If she wasn't mistaken, Draco Malfoy stood somewhat close by and seemed to be watching her with an odd look on his face. Confused and searching almost. Whatever. Malfoy's an odd git anyways. And so she slipped through the door.

But as she made it to the end of the hall, she heard the door opening behind her.

 _Seriously?_ she thought. She couldn't go anywhere without being watched. Harry, Ginny, Ron, the press. Everyone was always on top of her and her life and her whereabouts. Couldn't she do anything alone without someone else needing to know about it?

So she thought, maybe if she slipped around the corner quick enough they wouldn't see her and would give up the chase. But that seemed to not be the case, because as she did just that, she heard light jogging coming from the hall she'd just left. Picking up her own pace, she tried to run away. Finally, she slipped into an empty room and walked over to a table near the window. Cradling her head, she was shocked when she heard the door open behind her.

"For Merlin's sake!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air, as she turned around. "Are you serious right now, Ron- Oh..." _Well this is awkward..._ she thought as she turned around and saw not Ron, but Draco Malfoy standing behind her.

The door shut behind him and they stood staring at one another in an awkward, tense silence.

Finally, he broke the silence. "Granger..."

"Malfoy." She responded with a slightly questioning tone, quirking an eyebrow.

More silence...

"...Can I help you with something?"

His gaze immediately dropped from her face to the ground, to the chair, to the window, to anywhere that wasn't her. Then he took a hesitant step forward and her eye immediately dropped to his legs and then back up again to his face as she stood up straighter and narrowed her eyes for a moment.

"I... I... Don't know..." And he took another step closer, slowly working his way toward her, step by slow step. Not sure why he was even continuing to do so, now that he knew who the woman in the gold dress was. Someone he had no particular interest in, but someone who apparently had something about them pulling him forward.

 _She_ , on the other hand, stayed on the defense. Her posture became _extremely_ erect, she became _highly_ aware of all his movements, her mind was playing out _all kinds_ of scenarios and how she could get out of them, and she backed up with every step he took until she had nowhere else to back up to, as her back was now up against the wall in between two windows. He stopped, though, at the table she'd just been standing next to, and leaned against it, now watching her, seemingly regaining his normalcy .

"So... Weasley huh?"

Of course, still on the defense, Hermione replied with an angry, "What about him?"

"If I do recall, he showed up with another woman on his arm tonight, and yet... You thought it was him coming through the door... I find that a bit _interesting_ , don't you?" and he quirked an eyebrow. She could see the smirk just underneath that poker face, but she remained silent. It wasn't his business what went on between her and Ron, regardless of what the press may think. And it's not like anything was going on between them to begin with. "What? So now little goody-two-shoes, Gryffindor's mudblood Princess is a home-wrecker to top it all off?"

Rolling her eyes at his remarks, she'd decided she'd had enough. "Oh please, Malfoy. 'Mudblood', come on, are you serious? Coming from someone so inbred he couldn't even tell the difference anyways. Did you know your family wasn't even classified as 'Pureblood' until the twentieth century? Or how about the fact that just as many half-bloods appear on your family tree as purebloods do? Your family was always closely associated with power, that is true, _regardless_ if it was the muggle or the wizarding world. Until the imposition of the International Statute of Secrecy in _1692_ , that is. Which your family _greatly opposed_ until it was implemented and your family changed their minds _._ There's even _tons_ of supporting evidence claiming the _first_ Lucius Malfoy tried for muggle Queen Elizabeth The First's hand but _failed_ , and _rumored_ he is the reason the Tudor line ended with her. Your family calling themselves purebloods was a political decision to stick with where the power was, the newly instated Ministry of Magic. So... _I_ , personally, think it's quite more _interesting_ just how ' _Pureblooded_ ' you and your family _really_ are, don't _you_?" She mocked. "And as far as your 'home-wrecker' statement goes, let me just say, something needs to be going on between two people for any 'home-wrecking' to happen and when one person from the assumed 'home-wrecking' pair is avoiding encountering the other person, I would think it safe to say nothing is going on between them. Thank you very much." She huffed and waited for a response.

And to her utter disbelief, instead of some angry, ignorant comment he actually started chuckling then laughing lightly. She was completely bewildered and stared at him wide-eyed, caught off guard.

"Actually, Granger, I am quite aware of my family's history. Of _both_ of my families' histories. The Blacks do have quite an extensive reach and history themselves, and varying outlooks depending on what branches you follow. Did _you_ know that Sirius Black and James Potter were more than likely cousins on top of being best friends? One Dorea Black was married to one Charlus Potter and had one son, and it is speculated that they may or may not be Harry Potter's own grandparents." The way he was smirking at her led her to believe that he at least knew the truth behind that speculation. "Which, in case you need some help following the lines, would make your dear friend my cousin too. I'm actually quite acquainted with my non-pureblood side of the family, also. They're quite interesting, to say the least. In fact, my mother and I plan on meeting her older sister, Andromeda, and her grandson, Teddy, soon. I believe you know them, do you not?"

At his words Hermione's eyes grew large. "Does Harry kn-" Before she could finish, footsteps could be heard coming down the hall, along with someone calling her name. She looked at the door and then focused her wide eyes back on Draco. Then she started rapidly looking around and pushing Draco.

"What are you doing Granger?" Draco asked, amused at her feeble attempts to move him.

"I'm trying to find a place for you to hide. That's Ronald come to find me, and if he finds you here with me he'll think you followed me with the intentions of killing me or something foolish along those lines."

Draco smirked. "But I don't even have my wand out." He said wiggling his eyebrows. Hermione stopped mid-shove and just gaped at him with an incredulous look upon her face which quickly turned into one of offense. Seeing her expression, Draco chuckled and shook his head. "It was a joke, Granger, relax." Then he grabbed her hands, pulling her toward him.

Immediately a shocked and slightly panicked expression crossed her face, and she started to struggle a bit. "Calm down, Granger. I'm helping you." And she stopped struggling and asked, "How do you plan to do that?" He winked and pulled her close, one arm going around her waist and the other circling up her spine, effectively pinning her to himself. Leaning in close, smirk firmly in place he whispered into her ear, "Trust me." just as the door started opening. He leaned her back a little, his face hovering mere centimeters from hers, while their eyes locked. Her eyes searching his face for any indication as to how exactly he planned on getting them out of _this_ and why he was even doing _this_. He let her search without giving anything away because the truth was he didn't even know why, so he just memorized every detail of her face.

"Hermion- What the bloody hell is this?" What you need to understand at this point is Ronald opened the door and poked his head in to take a look. He couldn't see faces from his angle, but he could see Hermione's dress and her arms holding tightly to some man while the man's arms wound around her, holding her flush against him. This _clearly_ wasn't what he was expecting to find. What he _expected_ was one Hermione Granger to be alone and waiting to speak to him or at least be taking a breather away from everyone. What Ronald found instead was one Hermione Granger very clearly _not_ alone; presumably snuck off to what seemed to be a thorough snogging session with some random bloke. But taking a closer look, Ron realized said random bloke had the signature platinum blond hair of a Malfoy. Of one _Draco_ Malfoy. He couldn't possibly be snogging Hermione, he must have hurt her or cursed her.

"Oi, Malfoy! What do you think you're doing?"

Hermione watched as Draco's signature smirk took up residence on his lips. He winked at her and then took a deep breath. Hanging his head so that it rested on her shoulder, he sighed dramatically. "What does it look like I'm doing Weasley?"

"Wha- Uh... You get away from Hermione. I don't know what you did to her but you better let her go. Right. Now. Malfoy."

Standing up straight, Draco addressed Ron head on with a flippant tone while keeping a possessive arm around Hermione, shielding her with his body, "I do hope you are not insinuating that I forced myself on Hermione here. I didn't do anything to Granger, except snog her senseless. Or at least _began_ to. Can't a man enjoy a few extracurricular activities with a woman without her ex barging in on them?" At this remark, Ron's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets while his ears began to turn red. "Oh don't tell me that upset you? If I do remember correctly, _you_ did show up to this gala that Hermione herself orchestrated _with_ another woman, did you not? How insensitive of you..." And at this Draco closed his eyes and shook his head. "Good thing I was here to make sure she wasn't left to fall to a million stressed out pieces huh? And would you look at that-" Everyone glanced at the clock on the opposing wall "-it's almost time for Hermione's speech." Turning toward Hermione and pulling her forward, he continued, "Come on, love. Let's get you to your awaiting audience."

Hermione couldn't even speak. All she could do the whole time was watch in horror and awe as Draco flawlessly shut Ronald up and effortlessly got them out of the room and on their way to the ballroom. All she could do at this moment was follow his lead quietly. She knew if she so much as _opened_ her mouth, Ron would be relentless and probably attack Draco. So she let him lead her around Ron and out the door, pausing only long enough for Draco to throw over his shoulder, "Oh. And Weasley, do close your mouth. It's unsightly." Once out the door and three quarters of the way to the corner they needed to turn at, Draco picked up speed, almost dragging Hermione with him. "Hurry up Granger. You know he's a ticking time bomb that's going to process everything and blow up any second now."

He was right. She grabbed a fistful of her dress to hike it up so she didn't trip and so she could match Draco's pace. Before they knew it, they had gone around two more turns and were about to make the last turn, when a door slamming open was heard. Hermione's face broke first into an expression of uneasiness and then into a grin. Letting out a soft chuckle that quickly turned into a giggle, Hermione grabbed Draco's hand and jogged toward the door. "Hurry up Malfoy, before he catches us," she giggled. Draco followed, shocked she'd grabbed his hand then chuckling to himself that she was like a teenager sneaking out her parents' house.

As she ran past the door they'd taken earlier to leave the gala, she pushed him toward the door. "Go on back out there. I've got a speech to make," she called as she ran to the other end of the hallway. Shaking his head, Draco Malfoy walked through the door, composing himself. Spotting Blaise at a table on the other side on the room, close to the front, he made his way over. Eyeing his best friend skeptically, Blaise raised an eyebrow at him, "Find what you were looking for?" Before he could respond, he heard an angry Ronald Weasley burst through the door he'd just walked through and saw a poised Hermione Granger appear on stage. Draco's only response to Blaise was to just grin. And as Blaise turned toward the stage to see what made Draco grin, he connected the dots. Gold dress, angry Weasel, and one Cheshire Cat grinning Draco. He had definitely found his lady in gold, and something had obviously transpired between the three. Blaise only hoped that Draco knew what he was getting himself into.

* * *

A.N. Like my subtle show of Hermione's Gryffindor pride in her gold dress and scarlet lipstick? lol

Also, I have some italics to try to show the places where I put emphasis when I read it but there's a lot I didn't add because I want you to read it the way you will in whatever tone(s) you choose. If you prefer I try to make it clear where I make my inflections let me know.


	2. Chapter 2

**FYI** must be read with the appropriate dramatization

* * *

It had been with great anticipation that Blaise had looked forward to hearing Draco's explanation of the events of the previous night's gala. But all day did he wait, and all night too, to no avail. Draco never did appear.

Typical.

As Blaise sat on his couch sipping a brandy and staring into the fire, he recalled what he remembered of the night before: of Draco's actions, and of Hermione Granger's. He really did not remember seeing her before the speech, nor really afterwards either. She seemed to have virtually appeared out of nowhere and essentially disappeared as well. He knew she hadn't actually but he had not been in her mechanizations for donations therefore he knew she had been working her golden girl charm on people of more interest, big donors and international connections.

He had watched Draco closely after his return though. He'd been decidedly distracted before his disappearance but upon his return, had been his bachelor-on-the-prowl, prey-in-his-sights self. Then, when Hermione Granger had descended from the stage, he became, once again, distracted (obviously looking for her) and distant when he couldn't find her. Blaise had tried questioning him but again, to no avail; as distracted as his friend had been, he'd still easily avoided all questions. These events perturbed Blaise yet made him extremely curious as to just what was going on.

Blaise himself had been apart from England's wizarding war when things started to really heat up. Between sixth and seventh year, he and his mother had quietly and quickly packed up and moved back to Italy for the duration, not returning for about two or so years, when things had _very_ _much_ cooled down. In that time, Draco had undergone some major changes, as had Blaise, leading to both being a _bit_ more open to magical unity and equality than they had been as children, which, in turn, made their relationship go from one of mere advantageous association to one of real friendship. That's not to say that they had gone around declaring their open love and approval of muggleborns and half-bloods. They were more classy and subtle than that. _But_ open enough that people noticed.

As wealthy, handsome, bachelor heirs to important families, they were causing a wave (not splash. Wave) and awakening a slow movement in the pureblood community. To the younger generations, they were Hogwarts legends; Slytherin bad boys redeemed with just the right amount of bad still and most definitely the looks and ancestry. To see them working alongside witches and wizards of lesser blood-status without complaint, without sneers and barbs, with civility; to see them talking to and occasionally dating these people, they were becoming _quite_ the positive role-models. Not ones the kiddie's parents particularly _agreed_ with, but ones the kids had chosen nonetheless and ones the ministry approved of and thanked. Always a rule of thumb: if you want to see changes, target the children.

But what made this one case of Draco's apparent "rebellious deviance" from traditional pureblood alliances is that this was no ordinary, nobody muggleborn from work the kids' parents could just brush off and truly call a phase of rebellion. This was _Hermione Granger_. The Smartest Witch of Her Age. This was not someone he'd just met, who would only see his fame and money. This was Draco Malfoy's long-time _rival_. This was the girl who stood for _everything_ that went _against_ the purebloods' traditional teachings, everything against what their childhood was. Hell, this was the girl who proved all those teachings _hilariously_ incorrect _regularly_. This was _The_ Wizarding World's _Golden Girl_ , one third of Harry Potter's revered "Golden Trio", the girl who is almost the _sole reason_ Harry Potter could even achieve saving the Wizarding World. This girl... This _woman_ was BIG. Whatever this was could potentially be _huge_ and send a shockwave through society.

But that all depended on what _this_ was, and the only way Blaise was going to get any kind of idea was by talking to Draco.

With that conclusion, Blaise stood up and finished his drink before stepping through the fireplace with a blaze of green flames and a shout of Draco's address.

* * *

What Blaise had not realized, though, was that it was a Sunday. And on Sundays, Draco Malfoy visited his mother and father at Malfoy Manor, and often times stayed the night too. So as Blaise flooed into an empty penthouse, Draco was finishing up his after-dinner tea discussion with his father about his life in the papers and last night's gala, being very careful not to mention his little scamper about the place with Hermione Granger. He _maaay_ have mentioned how she had done a _phenomenal_ job putting that production together and how he " _begrudgingly_ " actually enjoyed himself. And how that was all to be expected as she _was_ Harry Potter's muggleborn bestfriend, the one from school who always beat his scores.

"Remember Mother? Father, I know you do," Draco smirked at his father, remembering all the lectures her knowing it all had earned him.

Lucius Malfoy huffed with a slight roll of his eyes that he then trained on his wife, "Alright. I'm off to bed since he's gotten into that sardonic mood again, Narcissa. Will you come with me, or continue to humor this fool," at which he shot his son a mocking glare.

With a smile, Narcissa Malfoy shifted deeper into her chair and told her husband "I think I'll stay a bit longer with our son, Lucius. I want to hear more details about the gala." At which, she fixed her curious gaze on Draco who gulped with the realization he was about to be questioned much more thoroughly and knowing he'd probably end up telling her everything. Lucius on the other hand, huffed again, bade them a goodnight and swiftly moved to kiss his wife on the forehead before sweeping out the door.

His dramatic exit had Draco chuckling out of humor and cover from his mother. "You know, I do not believe Snape would have much appreciated Father taking his flair for the intimidating theatrics as his lasting legacy."

She chuckled as well with a slight shake of her head. "He does miss that man… So."

"So."

"Tell me more about this _'phenomenal'_ Ministry gala you attended that Hermione Granger hosted last night," Narcissa stated as she put her tea down.

Draco surrendered with a sigh. "Really Mother, you even would have enjoyed yourself. Quite the 'to do'. Fancy dresses and suits. Not too ostentatious though, thank Merlin. Elegantly simple. How's that?"

"Describe it for me, Draco, or else I may have to accompany you next time Miss Granger hosts one of these fundraisers. It's interesting to know a girl from such a non-magical and modest background can successfully and delightfully pull off such an event." The veiled threat and light emphasis on Granger's name did not get past Draco.

Leaning back in his chair and slightly narrowing his grey eyes at his mother, Draco prepared himself for whatever it was his mother was about to pull on him. "What is it you want to know Mother?"

Flippantly she waved her hand and shook her head, "Come Draco. How was it decorated? What were the color schem-"

"Ask what it is you really want to know Mother."

Quickly dropping her act and sitting up straighter, fixing him with that intense, all-knowing mom stare he'd always dreaded, she straight out asked him, "What is going on between you and Hermione Granger? Are you shagging her?"

"Mother!" Draco's mouth flew open and his eyes grew wide.

"Oh please, Draco. You and your flings are all over the gossip tabloids constantly, and don't tell me most of them are not true. Why do you think your father questions you about the life you lead that he reads about in the papers? It's not because he's going to lecture you. He may be an older man, but he's still a healthy and active one." At that, Draco drew back in the type of horror only children who find out their parents still know how to get dirty do. He _did not_ need or want to know how "healthy and active" his father _or mother_ was.

Shaking his head and wanting nothing but to leave, Draco responded with a clear, "Nothing is going on between Granger and myself."

"Truly? Nothing? Nothing at all?"

"Nothing."

"And why not?"

And again, Draco gave his mother a bewildered look, "What do you mean?!"

"What do you mean what do I mean? You act as if I don't read the tabloids either. She's turned into quite a beautiful young woman. She's highly intelligent and magically powerful. She's becoming quite politically powerful as well. She's single, now that she's finally dropped the youngest Weasley boy." At that last statement, Draco had made a slight face. "And obviously something happened between _you_ _two_ last night. What. Was. It?"

With a huff reminiscent of his father, Draco looked away before telling his mother, "Get me the pensieve. It's just easier to show you."

With a brilliant smile, Narcissa summoned a house elf, asking it to "bring the pewter pensieve from the study."

When handed the pensieve, Draco quickly put together the events of the night. Starting with the brief flashes of gold throughout the ballroom following all the way through to when she had pushed him back into said ballroom and he made his way over to Blaise. He didn't linger too long anywhere and didn't include how he had looked for Granger after her speech. There were some things he would have rather kept to himself. His mother though, when handed the pensieve with the memory waiting inside, with grace, excitedly dove in, quite literally head-first.

Draco sat with his head leant back, staring at the ceiling. Having exchanged his tea for whiskey while his mother was occupied, he slowly sipped his drink while he waited for her reaction. In his opinion, she was taking longer than actually necessary. Probably over-analyzing things as well as thoroughly examining the venue and execution of the event (color schemes and all that jazz).

When Narcissa finally pulled her head out of the memory, she passed it back to him and calmly picked her tea back up and took a sip. Draco looked at her oddly, waiting for her reaction, whatever it may be towards. Instead all he got once she placed her teacup back on its matching saucer was a simple, "It would appear you were correct, Draco. Hermione Granger made a fabulous splash into political galas. Although, there were a few things I'd suggest her to...," a flutter of her hand, "alter, it looked splendid."

Draco gave his mother a half-lidded look with an eyebrow arched and replied with a very bored, "Really, Mother? That's it?"

"What do you want me to say, Draco? I wasn't there to actually sample the food or participate in the company. I cannot give that full an opinion based off your memory. That'd be biased, would it not?"

"Come now, Mother," Draco said with a roll of his eyes, "You know very well that's not what I meant. What is your response to my answer of your previous question of what happened between Hermione Granger and myself?"

"Oh that," at this, Narcissa struck him with a _very_ intense look he couldn't quite decipher, before looking out the window. "Nothing."

"Nothing? Truly? _Nothing_?"

" _Yes_ , Draco," Narcissa responded with a much more refined roll of her own eyes. " _Nothing_. You are an adult, old enough to make your own decisions. And I trust you to make the right ones concerning this particular woman." Another very indecipherable, intense look. "She took you on an adventure last night, you had fun. Whether or not that means something to you or _to her_ is up to you two."

Draco stared at his mother with a very questioning expression fixed upon his face. He wasn't sure but he thought he might have opened his mouth once or twice to respond in some way before closing it again, having come up with nothing to say. And soon enough, Narcissa, with a very delicate and dainty yawn, announced she was exhausted and would be going to bed. She rose gracefully, kissed Draco on the forehead, patted his shoulder, and told him "Really Draco. Don't hurt yourself over analyzing this" before she strode out of the room and up the stairs.

He stared into his cup for awhile before he calmly said to himself, "How does that woman always manage to brain fuck me?" and downed the rest of his nightcap. With a heavy sigh, he rose from his chair and climbed the stairs to his own room, where he laid on his bed and stayed up all night trying to figure out just what his mother wanted him to do.

* * *

But for Hermione Granger, Sunday rose bright and early. Being a morning person, she was no stranger to an early beginning to her day. She woke up, brushed her teeth, and then made her morning tea while feeding Crookshanks and retrieving her mail from the owl at the window. She sipped her tea while looking over the Daily Prophet and happily making note that her Ministry Gala was smeared across the front page.

 **Golden Girl's Political Debut: A Major Splash**

 _By Landon Geoffrey_

 _Britain's Ministry of Magic's Annual Summer Fundraising Gala was hosted by none other than the Wizarding World's very own Golden Girl, Hermione Granger, this year. It came as no surprise to us here at the Daily Prophet, that the Brightest Witch of Her Age did nothing short of an exceptional job at hosting one of the Ministry of Magic's biggest fundraising events of the year for the first time. From the venue to the food and decoration, this year's Summer Gala was a hit with all who attended, except perhaps with the hostess' ex, Ronald "Ron" Weasley._

 _Weasley, was seen entering the event with new girlfriend, Candice Lapine, and seemingly enjoying the food and company. But by the time of Ms. Granger's thank_ _you speech, Mr. Weasley appeared to be extremely upset, if his glares at the hostess and extremely red face were any indications. It is not yet known if an altercation of some type had occurred at some point in the night, though Mr. Weasley was heard somewhat ranting about someone being "inclined to fraternize with the enemy" and that he "can't believe she would stoop so low". Could Hermione Granger have a new lover of which Ron Weasley may be jealous of? We have our sources looking into it and will update our beloved readers as soon as can be._

 _If there was an altercation at some point in the night, Ms. Granger sure gave no indication of such. Her speech was impeccable and flawless, as expected. She seemed at ease and self confident and completely in her element the whole night. It appeared Ms. Granger had the workings of the entire night's festivities fully planned and overseen to perfection, as she was not once seen needing to revise anything, but instead was seen mingling with her gracious audience all night._

 _Britain's Political Debutante made an incredibly successful dive into the politics game last night, and we are all excited to see where Hermione Granger takes us._

The rest of the article was devoted to talking about who was there, who sponsored and donated, who catered, who wore who, who came with who, and so on. She rolled her eyes at the mentions of the wizarding community's continual use of the terms "Golden Girl" and "Brightest Witch of Her Age", and scoffed at the remarks quoted from Ron. Afterwards, she cut out the article and put it in a binder where she kept all the clippings of the Daily Prophet's mentions of her small political achievements and reforms. This clipping though… This one was the big kahuna.

Though last night's fundraiser wasn't specifically designed to foster one of her own projects or really any one Ministry project in particular, as the Prophet noted, last night marked Hermione Granger's official step into real politics. She and the Minister had been speaking about her career long term for the last few months and had determined that the best move short term at the moment would be for her to fully step into the roll as a politician and not merely a department head anymore. It had its pros and cons.

For instance, she wouldn't get to firsthand go over the reforms being written before they were passed to the decision makers. But as a politician she would be on the public front lines, rallying the people behind the reforms she wanted to get controversial topics that the decision makers kept to themselves and passed or killed privately in their drawing rooms over tea rather than through actual legal process. Sensitive topics that had been kept hush hush and used as scare tactics for far too long. However stuck in the past the wizarding world liked to stay, there were laws and legislation that needed reforms to be made to bring some things out of the medieval times and up to date with the modern era.

And if there was anyone who could do it, it would be Ms. Hermione Granger.

Both she and the Minister understood she would still need lots of help, even with her four years of moving through positions of authority in the Ministry and gaining many friends and sympathizers throughout the departments. But that was what last night was for. To begin the search for support from the new and old politicians. And also, to formally display the British Ministry's pocket ace, a very grown up and genteel, Ms. Hermione Granger, who held the support of the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and the wizarding world's savior himself, Harry Potter.

But that was when she was on the job. Right now she was home and tidying up before she needed to get ready to have a girls day with Ginny and Luna. That was until her fireplace blazed green and out walked a smiling Harry Potter instead.

With hands on hips, Hermione addressed her best friend, "I'm assuming you read the paper?"

"Of course I did. What kind of properly raised, self-respecting man doesn't read the paper with his morning tea?" Harry answered with a chuckle and a Dumbledore-esk twinkle in his eye. "The Dursleys may have kept me in a cupboard under the stairs, but they made sure to instill certain qualities in me." And with that he winked at her with a wicked grin before throwing himself on her couch. For the umpteeth time today, Hermione huffed and rolled her eyes before also throwing herself down next to him.

"Where's your wife? We're supposed to have a girls day today."

"And I'm assuming you wanted to get that rolling by noon or one? Yeah, good luck with that, after the amount of alcohol Ginny consumed while putting up with Ron all night." Harry again chuckled.

Hermione threw her head over the couch's armrest with a pained groan. "Please tell me he didn't actually rant last night and say those things, Harry. _Please_."

"If you wish…" Harry said with an amused tone, before getting a curious face on. "What happened last night between you guys? I mean we barely saw you to begin with, with how busy you were but we noticed when Ron went missing. And he said some crap about Malfoy being involved or something too? I don't know. I was a bit tipsy myself by then to be honest."

"Ugh. Fiiiine. Since I'm _obviously_ not going to be interrogated by your wife today, I might as well tell _you_ right?" She smiled at him and adjusted herself more comfortably on the couch before taking on a more serious face and starting off with an appropriately dramatic flare. "Merlin Harry! He was staring at me all flipping night! I didn't even have to look to know he was watching me the whole time, but when I did, just to make sure I wasn't going crazy, I could just see him from across the room just tailing me! Do you know how annoying that is?"

Appropriately startled by this description (as any good best friend should be), Harry sputtered, "Wha-Who? Who was stalking you last night? Malfoy? I'll kill him if he did anything to you!"

Rolling her eyes with a dismissive toss of her head, Hermione corrected Harry. "No. No. Not _him_. _Ron_! God!" Here Harry interjected with a questioning, "Ron?" before Hermione continued, paying no mind to her best friend, as she knew she had him fully engaged in her tirade of the night. "Why can't he just leave me alone, Harry? It didn't even bother me that he brought his new girlfriend."

"You sure?" Harry questioningly asked, with eyebrows raise (he never could master the one-eyebrow look).

" _YES!_ I _solemnly swear_! Not one bit. Cross my heart, hope to die. _Promise_ I'm not lying. Not even a little. He's the one that bothers me. _Because. He. Just. Won't. Let. It. GO!_ Ugh!" Here, she leant her head on the back of the couch and took a deep calming breath.

"Go on," And this time, Harry tried to raise one eyebrow, but only succeeded in getting one just slightly higher than the other.

"Needless to say it was bothersome. But I persevered." A Harry interruption, "As we all know you always will," with a nod. "So I did the polite socialite thing and mingled with my audience. Ignored the eyes boring into my back and conversed and laughed and wooed the appropriate people while always staying courteous and accommodating to all my guests."

"Kingsley will make a delightful society wife of you yet," Harry said, with a modest pursing of his lips and approving shallow nod of the head. Gaining himself a glare from his friend.

With a dainty sniff, she proceeded. "After awhile, it got close to when I needed to make my speech and I just had to take a breather from all the staring and crowd mingling and stuff, and recollect myself before going on stage. So I snuck off." And here she shrugged her shoulders, no big deal. "But I made the mistake of turning around to make sure no one followed me. Except Ron was staring at me. So we made eye contact. And I booked it out the side door. Harry, I kid you not, I felt like I was in some kind of horror movie for a few minutes. I get to the the end of the hallway and hear someone following me, so I grab a handful of my dress and run down the next hallway. And the next. And the next. Until I try to lose them in some abandoned office or something. And the next thing I know, the freaking door is opening anyways!" Insert Harry's appropriately timed gasp and utterance of "But who-"

"Draco Malfoy is who!" Insert another gasp and "No! Surely not!" "I promise you. And to my horror I thought it was Ron. I whipped around and began going off on Ron, only to realize it was Malfoy! Stupid prat." Hermione sadly shook her head. "Anyways. He did his Malfoy thing and pettily tried to get me riled up. He honestly seemed as surprised it was me as I was that it was him. And by the way, did you know that Andromeda is allowing Narcissa and Draco Malfoy to meet Teddy? He mention something about being intrigued to be meeting them soon."

"Really?" Harry looked surprised at that, confirming her suspicions that he didn't know. But he didn't appear upset, and with a shrug went on, "I didn't know but she is his grandmother, and for the time being is taking care of him until me and Ginny fully settle in. We haven't actually discussed this but I think it's understood that we'll both be acting as his parents so she has full range to make those kinds of decisions. And I'd like him to know his family, even if they are Malfoys. I mean, if it was the Lestranges that'd be something else. But if Andromeda thinks that the Malfoys are worthy to meet Harry Potter's godson then so be it. Even if Draco _Malfoy_ turned into Teddy _Lupin_ 's favorite uncle, it wouldn't matter, because honestly, who can top Godfather Potter?"

Hermione chuckled, "True that. I wish I had a Godfather Potter." Here Harry looked offended. "Do you not?! Have I not always been there for you? And did I not _save_ the wizarding world from a psychotic maniac who would've killed off and enslaved your people?"

Hermione deadpanned here, "Oh yes you've always been there for me. I wasn't saying you weren't. But let's be honest Harry. You could not have saved the wizarding world without me. So really, who saved the wizarding world from a psychotic maniac? Hm? Or has literally always been there for you?" Harry rolled his eyes before breaking into a wide smile. "Alright Hermione. You got me." And they both laughed.

"Alright. Alright. Finish your story. Malfoy taunted you. Ron wasn't even there. You're safe now. So what happened?"

"Right. Right. Okay. Soo.. We lightheartedly debated. I huffed, he chuckled. He said that stuff about Teddy and Andromeda. And before I could respond I heard guess who calling my name down the hallway and opening doors." Harry, wide-eyed, "Ron?" "Ron. So I did what I never thought I'd do, and I put my hands on Draco Malfoy for the _second_ _time_ in my life. And not because I punched him in the face. Actually, I was trying to push him into a hiding spot so that Ron wouldn't try to _kill_ _him_. I was trying to _save_ _Draco_ _Malfoy_ of all people. Can you believe that?" Hermione gave Harry an incredulous look, but upon seeing his unimpressed face that was obviously telling her he just wanted to get to the gist of the story, she sighed and continued. "Anyways. He's like a freaking brick wall and wouldn't budge. Literally, had the nerve to laugh at my attempts to save him and ask me what I was doing. And make some lewd and highly inappropriate _joke_! That is before he _grabbed_ me and told me to _trust_ him as he pulled me as close as he could just as Ron opened the door." She shook her head and saw that Harry had the most protective-big-brotherly look on his face she'd ever seen. She knew if she didn't keep talking he'd demand to know if Malfoy assaulted her.

"I can only imagine what it looked like to Ron. Which was _exactly_ what Malfoy was hoping it'd look like. Like we were snogging. Which is exactly what he told Ron we were doing when Ron accused him of forcing himself on me. He literally told Ron, 'I didn't do anything to Granger, except snog her senseless. Or at least _began_ to. Can't a man enjoy a few extracurricular activities with a woman without her ex barging in on them?' which had Ron sputtering before Malfoy gave him the put-down by telling him he can't be upset because he came to my event with another woman. Then he pulled me past Ron and out the door with a 'Come on, love. Let's get you to your awaiting audience.'" Hermione took a moment to catch her breath and take in Harry's pleasantly astonished face that held a tiny glimmer of newfound respect.

"So yeah. He whisked me out the door. Told Ron to shut his mouth because it was ' _unsightly_ '. Then he proceeded to drag me down the hallway until we were both running and giggling because we heard Ron slam the door and I pushed him back toward the door I left the ballroom from and went to the stage door. I presume he went to his table. I don't know. I went up on stage just as Ron bust through the ballroom door looking ridiculous. The rest of night I spent mingling with the crowd," and she ended her story with a shrug.

Harry looked dumbfounded for a moment before he responded, most surprisingly, with, "Wait wait wait. So you're telling me you didn't spend anymore time with Malfoy after that? That you just went about the rest of your night spending time with stuffy old men and women to get their donations and support and didn't see Malfoy again," while rubbing his eye and dragging his hand slowly down his face, giving Hermione the most unimpressed and 'you're stupid' kind of face she ever seen him give her.

"Um…." She frowned, not looking at him. "...Yes?"

Harry's mouth dropped before he shook his head at her with an exasperated exhale out his nose. "Sometimes, 'Mione, you're not the Brightest Witch of Your Age. Sometimes, you're _dumb_."

Hermione gave him a shocked look with an equally shocked, "Bu-Wha-"

Harry softly raised his hand and responded with, "How 'bout we just say, I wouldn't be surprised if you start seeing a bit more platinum blonde in your life."

Hermione let out a confused "What?" as Harry stood up.

"I gotta go and catch my wife up on the so called rumored love life of one Hermione Granger. And then later listen, probably, to my other best friend's less detailed, and more angrily biased version of the same story."

"What? You're leaving me? For him? Well that's bullshit," Hermione huffed good-naturedly as she crossed her arms and pushed herself deeper into her couch cushions.

"Also. Remind me to get you a pensieve for your birthday or Christmas. Whichever one comes first."

"You don't even know when my birthday is?! You're the worst Godfather Potter ever."

Harry chuckled and leaned down to kiss Hermione on the head before swooshing out her apartment with a loud, "Bye Mione!" leaving her to shower and lounge around her house for the rest of the day, reading.

* * *

Long time no see. Really, truly sorry it's been so long but there's this. Still feel like the first one is better, personally. But tell me what you think.

-Liz


End file.
